The present invention relates generally to fluid pumps and more particularly to a fluid pump wherein the pumping action is accomplished by a Stirling cycle engine having a variable volume displacer piston.
Stirling cycle engines have the desirable characteristic that heat from the sun, or otherwise waste heat, can be utilized as a source of power for driving the engine. In the past, where Stirling cycle engines have been utilized for pumping fluids, a common practice has been to provide a separate pump and means to drive the pump with the mechanical output power derived from the engine. This arrangement results in a larger than necessary engine and pump combination having a larger than necessary number of parts. The increased number of parts, and resulting mechanical friction undesirably reduce the working efficiency of the engine and pump combination.